NINJA GAIDEN 4 Review: Legacy Reborn with Razor-Sharp Combat

For years, fans have wondered if Ninja Gaiden would make a return. Once synonymous with fast-paced sword-wielding action, the franchise had gone dark after Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge. And, now in 2025, NINJA GAIDEN 4 will re-disembowel itself on the scene under the joint guidance of Team NINJA and PlatinumGames with Koei Tecmo doing publisher duties under Xbox Game Studios.

The result is an exhilarating but at times incongruous union of two worlds: Team NINJA’s punishing precision and Platinum’s stylized spectacle. It’s a fast, furious and visually striking game that is also helping to ignite an uncomfortable conversation among long-time fans about what Ninja Gaiden should be.

Legacy Meets Experimentation

From the get-go, NINJA GAIDEN 4 makes its mission very clear – it’s time to evolve or die. The game brings powerful new young ninjas faces an all-new evil with the help of his friends in a miasma-besieged Tokyo. His tale intertwines with Ryu Hayabusa, the franchise’s iconic warrior who assumes more of a support role at first (until he's unlocked post-campaign).

For new arrivals, Yakumo has been a fresh start. His Bloodbind Ninjutsu changes weapons on the fly, allowing players to alternate between liquid combos, parries and executions. Veterans will also see the reappearance of beloved moves such as the Izuna Drop and Flying Swallow, with new tweaks that make them have flashy new reinforcement to their killing power.

“The combat feels so good. It feels like a proper Ninja Gaiden game — fast, snappy, and responsive,” one reviewer wrote, echoing much of the positive sentiment on Steam.

With over 1,250 user reviews and an 89% positive rating at the time of this writing: There’s clearly something about NINJA GAIDEN 4 that’s sticking even as some face criticisms along the way.

A Partnership of Two Titans

The work by PlatinumGames and Team NINJA is the game’s greatest asset and most polarizing decision. Platinum with their movie-like style and combo systems you can easily chain together, coupled with Team NINJA keeping the punishment heavy. The combination translates fantastically in action — blades shimmer, sparks fly and the frame-rate hardly wobbles.

Combat is high-speed chess. Its withering, flurrying combinations would feel punishing even in a straight one-on-one but here every move is deliberate; it rewards you for learning enemy behaviour. If you can chain a perfect dodge into a counter, the payoff is pure kinetic satisfaction. But some fans worry the Platinum influence dilutes the franchise’s signature complexity.

“This would’ve been a great Metal Gear Rising sequel, not a Ninja Gaiden one,” one critical reviewer noted. “The depth of Ryu’s old weapon sets is gone.”

In fact, some vets will miss the missing of orientation input moves-a major component of previous games that afforded greater control over every weapon. This simplification feels like a compromise made to court modern audiences for them.

The Feel of the Blade

NINJA GAIDEN 4 is terrific in the mechanics department. The fighting is slick, tactile and responsive — both hit detection and parry are on a deep level that rewards mastery. The developers seem to understand exactly what made Ninja Gaiden 2 and Black such a treat — the muscular rhythm of attack, block and counter-attack — and updated it without losing the tension.

Highlights from the community:

• “The best combat system in any action game I’ve ever played.”
• “Brutal, flashy, and deeply satisfying.”
• “Finally, a true successor that doesn’t hold your hand.”

Even those who are skeptical of Yakumo’s introduction concede that the moment-to-moment gameplay feels amazing. His moveset may not be identical to Ryu’s, but the rhythm is unmistakably Ninja Gaiden: fleet, unforgiving and thrilling.

But some critics note that the arenas are same-y feeling, with less environmental interaction: Invisible walls and simpler traversal make some encounters feel hemmed in compared to older games’ sprawling, trap-filled stages.

Performance and Visual Fidelity

The NINJA GAIDEN 4 tech excels and written for modern hardware. Even on PC, mid-ranged rigs are known to produce smooth 1080p / 60 FPS gameplay.

Minimum Specs:

• OS: Windows 10/11 (64-bit)
• CPU: Intel i5-8400 / Ryzen 5 3400G
• GPU: GTX 1060 (6 GB) / RX 590 (8 GB)
• RAM: 16 GB
• Storage: 100 GB SSD

Recommended:

• CPU: i5-10400 / Ryzen 5 3600
• GPU: RTX 2060 Super / RX 5700XT
• Target: 1080p @ 60 FPS

A Divided Storyline

The NINJA GAIDEN 4 narrative skedaddles delicately between reinvention and betrayal. Yakumo’s tale — of a precocious prodigy shackled by fate — introduces new bloodsucking stakes, though its heroics are at the expense of Ryu Hayabusa.

“You don’t call a game Ninja Gaiden and make Ryu a side character,” one fan wrote. “Ryu Hayabusa is Ninja Gaiden.”

It’s this feeling that echoes from dozens of other reviews. Though newcomers feel for Yakumo, veterans view it as a metaphorical changing of the guard — and they may not be totally happy about it.

But when taken on its own, the story holds up. That near-future Tokyo setting works well to merge the myth and machine of Tokyo, while the eerie miasma-soaked streets carry a sense of impending doom not dissimilar to Nioh 2. The cutscenes are stylish, and strong voice acting more than makes up for occasionally melodramatic dialogue.

Sound and Atmosphere

One of the most universally liked features within the game is its audio direction. The soundtrack, from composers rumored to have worked on Devil May Cry 5, injects every battle scene with pounding percussion and electrifying guitar riffs.

Every slash has a vivid metallic crunch and the howls of dismembered enemies cry out like morose symphony. It’s violent, sure, but excess has always been Ninja Gaiden’s mettle — and here it is swung with the right touch.

Community Pulse and Critical Consensus

Note that NINJA GAIDEN 4 is currently rated 83 (PC) at Metacritic, and has a “ Very Positive ” rating with over 1,250 reviews on Steam — 89% of which are positive.

Players praise:

• Deep, rewarding combat loop
• Gorgeous visuals and fluid performance
• Respectful nods to classic moves
• A soundtrack that matches its intensity

Players criticize:

• Combo simplification from preceding titles
• Reduced role for Ryu Hayabusa
• Limited stage interactivity

Though opinions are split, almost everyone agrees on one thing: The game finally feels alive again. After a silence of years, that name commands respect again the Ninja Gaiden name does — even if it speaks now in that little bit of a different dialect.

A Tribute to Tomonobu Itagaki

The recently departed Tomonobu Itagaki, the godfather of Ninja Gaiden in its present form, is memorialized across both the credits and throughout the game’s community by fans and devs alike. Various player reviews in tribute to his vision assure readers that without him, the series would have never seen such heights.

“Rest in Peace Tomonobu Itagaki-san. You revived this franchise one last time and gave us greatness.”

It’s a touching undercurrent — there among the hand-off between generations of developers and players.

Verdict: A Blade That Cuts Both Ways

NINJA GAIDEN 4 is a paradox — simultaneously a love letter and an act of defiance. It distills what is most thrilling about the series’ combat then has the guts to interpret its identity. In the process, it alienates some veterans but sails new players onboard.

Whereas Ninja Gaiden 2 was about mechanical mastery, NINJA GAIDEN 4 is about keeping up the momentum and maintaining a spectacle. It’s not about memory of every input, but feeling every slash. Whether that’s progress or a watering-down of the definition of Ninja Gaiden, I guess it depends on how you define what Ninja Gaiden is.

It's critically one of the best action titles of 2025. We’re at the upper echelon of combat depth, technical sheen and intensity even if some design decisions sometimes butt frontally against their roots.

Verdict: 8.5/10 - A savage and gorgeous revival that cuts deeply, even in its stumbles.

FAQ — NINJA GAIDEN 4

Q: Who is the creator of NINJA GAIDEN 4?
A:It was developed by PlatinumGames, Team NINJA and Koei Tecmo and published by Xbox Game Studios.

Q: Who is the protagonist you play as?
A: Yakumo leads, with Ryu Hayabusa as a playable character after the story is cleared.

Q: What is the Metacritic and Steam score?
A: 83 on Metacritic; 89 percent positive in more than 1,250 Steam reviews.

Q: What are its availability and pricing on platforms?
A: PC (Steam), Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5.

Q: Is it as hard as the classics?
A: It is, but it can be played on easier difficulty settings as well.

Final Thoughts

NINJA GAIDEN 4 is not for everyone, but it does what all great revivals do – get people talking about it again, reignites the passion, and controversy. The blade is sharper, the bite is harder, and the spirit of Ninja Gaiden has not been dulled beneath steel and leather.

Fans of Metal Gear Rising and even Devil May Cry 5, this game is a must-play. For purists, it’s a bittersweet evolution — one that carries different weight, but still rings true.